I want a school with a small student/teacher ratioWant it to have a good (90% or higher) bar passing rateReasonable tuition cost (I am a texas resident)Want to be stay in texas...as close to South TExas (Rio Grande VAlley) as possibleBUT OVERALL: I want to get the best education possible between these two schools....any 1. other added opinions?

Oh yeah one more thing...My long term goal is to eventually become a law professor, but while I practice law I am going to focus on either bankruptcy law, will and estate, or criminal law (bet you can tell i am undecided ! )

I am interested in more opinions...thanks again!

1. Based on this criteria, I would suggest Texas Tech over STCL. It is a cheaper school with high bar passage rates. I don't think either school would make much difference for the Rio Grande Valley.

2. Honestly, any future as a law prof is more or less nonexistent coming from a T3 or T4, unless you want to teach legal writing at your alma mater.

I did my research on Tech and STCL (cause they are in Texas, and I planned to only apply to Texas schools) BUT I received one of those free applications in the mail from Florida Coastal, sent it in, and got word that I was accepted and would be receiving a scholarship...I know very little about that school, but since they are offering me money, I guess it is something to consider. As far as Tech and STCL are concerned..I just want to get other people's opinions because I am struggling between locations. My family is going through a tough time right now, and I want to stay as close to them as possible (STCL-4 hours away) but I have visited Tech's law school and fell in love with their faculty and students (12 hours away ) So now I am having a hard time deciding what to do...sacrifice family matters for my personal benefit or get an education at a school that I am not as familiar with? Get me...trust me..I researched as much as possible.

Both schools are comparable. I think Tech has better cred in TX overall because of its higher ranking, but that's just my 2 cents. You should visit both schools and make a "gut" call... UNLESS one school is significantly cheaper than the other (factoring cost of living). You should limit your debt as much as possible if you're planning to attend a a T3 or T4 school. If you receive no scholarship from STCL, I'd say go to Tech for sure. I think total cost of attendance would likely not exceed $75K ($11K tuition, $14K living, x3) at Tech, but STCL's full price would be about $108K ($22K tuition, $14K living, x3).

Of course, we don't have any insight into your family's "tough time." This could completely change things.

Thank you to everyone for their help. I think I will be leaning towards Tech. THIS JUST IN:I just received an email from UT admission stating that I have been offered a place on their waiting list...this means that I may not find out for sure until the summer. Is being on the waiting list a good thing? I mean, do they offer everyone who has been declined a spot on that list? About how many people get offers to be on the list? What do yall think my chances are of getting in...I mean how many people would SERIOUSLY decline or choose not to go to UT!? Oh well....still waiting on Baylor and U of Houston...

I would not think your chances are very good considering your other options are a T3 and T4 school, but what do I know? You must have done something right! Send them a letter of continued interest that reiterates your desire to study law at UT.

Hi thanks for your comments...Well, the thing about my other options...I only applied to 6 law schools. I have been accepted into three and now Im on a waiting list for UT. I was originally only going to apply to five law schools in texas but Florida Coastal sent me a free application in the mail so i was like, "what the heck."

I am still waiting to hear from Baylor and U of Houston, which I believe are in the top 100 law schools in the nation according to a list i saw recently on this forum.

Between Tech and STCL..I have decided to stick with Tech. Ya'll have helped me make that decision.

About my scores...I will admit..they are not that great, I will say this: I scored in the 150s. My GPA is a 3.78. I am currently an English graduate student.I am 21 years old and I am half hispanic, half Anglo (but i identify myself as Hispanic, and I am fluent in both English and Spanish) I have a great amount of leadership experience..and I am a URM. I just found out what that mean Anywho...I am going to do my best to help my chances of getting off that waiting list and getting into UT.

One thing about Lubbock - it's a crappy little town. The upshot is that virtually nobody stays there after law school; most students move on to one of the major cities in Texas. Their alumni base is very large and very strong. If you want to stay in Texas, you will have many more options coming from Tech than people on this board will lead you to believe.